Refrigerator mullion construction for preventing condensation



Sept. 14, 1948. w. E. HURSEY ET AL 2,449,384

REFRIGERATOR MULLION CONSTRUCTION FOR PREVENTING CONDENSATION Filed Jan. 9, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l rr 1 I3 "'I:

w. E. HUR SEY ET AL REFRIGERATOR MULLION CONSTRUCTIOM Sept. 14, 1948. 2,449,384

FOR PREVENTING connmsmxon 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1946 Patented Sept. 14, 1948 REFRIGERATOR MULLION CONSTRUCTION FOR PREVENTING CONDENSATION Willis E. Hursey, Oak Park, and Gilbert Strunk, gnors to Sea er-Sunbeam Corporation, St. Paul, Minn" a corporation of Glen Ellyn, Ill., assi Minnesota Application January 9, 1946, Serial No. 639,945

v 8 Claims. 1

Our invention relates to an improvement in refrigerator wherein it is desired to provide a means of preventing condensation on the mullion or mullions between adjacent doors.

In refrigerators having a plurality of doors, some difficulty. is experienced with condensation on the mullion or frame member between the doors. In many instances this mullion includes an outer metallic covering, an inner metallic lining, and breaker strip means connecting the two liners. If the doors extended flush with the outer surface of the mullion, probably little condensation would beexperienced. Actually, however, the doors usually project outwardly. from the mullion providing a relatively narrow crevice between adjacent doors. Due to the restricted size of this crevice air does not circulate freely against the mullion and heat is not transmitted from the air to the mullion as readily as to the exterior surfaces of the refrigerator.

It is the object of the present invention to produce a mullion construction which will avoid many of the previous difficulties insofar as the collection of condensation is concerned. In order to prevent condensation on the outer surface of the mullion, we project a part of the outer surface of the mullion outwardly between the doors to a point where the mullion will be at least partly in contact with moving air. As a result heat is transmitted somewhat more readily to the mullion, preventing the outer surface thereof from dropping to a sufficiently low temperature to condense moisture in the air.

It is usual construction to separate the metallic lining of a refrigerator cabinet from the outer metallic covering of the same by means of a suitable breaker strip formed of material having relatively poor heat conductive properties. Thus while a .certain amount of heat is conducted into the refrigerator through the breaker strips and the like, the temperature of most portions of the outer covering is prevented from dropping suili ciently to cause condensation because of the ambient air. In confined spaces, however, such as the exposed outer covering of a mullion between adjacent dooropenings or the like, the air does not circulate freely, allowing the temperature of this portion of the cabinet surface to drop below the temperature of other portions of the outer refrigerator covering. The present invention involves the extension of the mullion surface suillciently close to the surface of the door to be positioned in the path of circulating air. As a result the temperature of the outer surface of the mullion is maintained at absolutely the same temperature as the remainder of the outer surface of the refrigerator. In some constructions it is necessary that the projecting portion of the mullion extend flush with, or even outwardly of the outer door surface in order to accomplish the desired result.

These and other objects and novel features of our invention will be more clearly and fully set forth inthe following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of our specification:

Figure l is a front .elevational view of a refrigerator cabinet showing our new construction.

Figure 2 is a perspective'vlew, partly in section, showing the arrangement of the mullion and the doors engaging the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the mullion and the adjoining doors. c

Figure 4 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 3 showing the projecting portion of the mullion extending at least flush with the outer door surfaces.

The refrigerator A may be of any shape or design and the specific cabinet structure illustrated is merely demonstrative of one form of our invention. The refrigerator cabinet A includes a cabinet body Ill of usual type having doors ii and i2 secured thereto. Hinges, l3 are disclosed supporting the door I l and oppositely disposed hinges I 4 are provided for supporting the door l2. Latches l5 and it of any suitable type or design are provided for holding the doors in closed position against the refrigerator body l0.

Interposed between the doors II and 12 we i provide a mullion I'I against which the marginal edges of the doors may engage. The mullion I1 is shown as including an inner; liner l9 extending from the inner surface of the mullion and a channel shaped outer member 20 forming the outer surface covering element. Insulation 2! may be provided within the mullion and if desired this insulation may comprise a structural frame member reinforcing the inner and outer coverings l9 and 20.

In the particular form of construction illustrated the inner covering member I!) is formed of metal or other material of relatively high heat conductivity. The outer covering 20 is preferably formed of plastic, rubber, or a rubber substitute. Certain rubber base plastics have been found particularly useful, although virtuallyany plastic having low heat conductivity may beused to accomplish the desired result.

The outer covering 20 is shown as including a central outer covering surface 22, inwardly and "3 rearwardly tapering wall portions 23 and 24 connected thereto, and parallel wall portions 23 and 23 secured to the, tapered wall portions 23 and 24 respectively. This construction provides a channel like arrangement, the open edge of which is closed by the inner covering i3. Integral with or secured to the central outer covering surface 22 we provide an outwardly projectinghollow head 21. This bead extends outwardly to a point almost flush with the outer coverings 23 and 30 of the doors II and I2. The extension of the bead 21 is sufllcient to position the outer end of the bead in the path of circulating air so as to maintain the exposed portion of the outer covering 20 at a temperature above the usually experienced condensation point. In any event the exposed portion of the mullion covering 20 is maintained at approximately the temperature of the remainder of the outer covering of the refrigerator.

The doors ii and i2 are shown as including outer coverings 23 and 30 and inner coverings 3| and 32 respectively. The inner covers 3| are dish shaped in formation having a flat inner surface substantially parallel to the outer surface and having off-set edges. The inner cover-1 ing 3| includes the substantially flat inner surface 33 and tapered edges 34 which terminate in an outwardly extending flange 35 substantially parallel to the inner covering portion 33.

The inner door lining 32 is likewise provided with a substantially flat inner surface 36, tapered marginal edges 31 terminating in a peripheral outwardly extending flange 33.

The outer door coverings 23 and 30 are provided with inturned marginal edges and 4| respectively, terminating in inturned marginal flanges 42 and 43,. respectively. The flange 42 of the outer covering 29 is connected in spaced relation to the inner covering 3| by any suitable means such as screws or bolts 44, a breaker strip 45 of material possessing relatively low heat conductivity being anchored between these flanges. The breaker strip 45 is likewise provided with a hollow bead 46 overlying-the inner surface of the flange 35 so as to contact the portion of the refrigerator cabinet around the door opening.

The flange 43 of the outer door covering 30 is connected to the flange 33 of the inner door covering 32 by any suitable means such as the bolts or screws 41. A breaker strip 49 is anchored between the flanges 43 and 39. A hollow bead 50 forms a part of the breaker strip and is designed to overlie the innersurface of the flange 33 and to contact the outer surface of the refrigerator.

It is not necessary that the projecting portion 21 of the mullion outer covering be integral with the outercovering, but it is usually convenient to provide such an arrangement, and certain advantages are obtained by making the outer mullion covering 20 in one piece. In actual practice, however, it would also be possible to provide the outer mullion covering in three separate parts as best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. As indicated in Figure 4 the mullion 5| may include an inner covering 52 which may be of material of high heat conductivity and to which are secured a pair of angular breaker strips 53 and 54. The breaker strips 53 include parallel portions 55 and 56 respectively, tapered or inclined surfaces 51 and 53 respectively, and aligned and opposed sections 60 and 3| respectively. The aligned portions 60 and 3| 4 may be connected by projection portion 32 which may be made of material of high conductivity. Marginal flanges 63 and 64 are formed on the projecting portions 62, these flanges overlying the marginal edges of the breaker strip portions 60 and 6| and being connected thereto by any suitable means such as bolts or screws 65.

It will be noted that in the construction illustrated in Figure 4 the projecting portion 62 of the mullion extends outwardly beyond the surface of the doors II and I2. The amount of extension of the projecting portion of the mullion is sufficient to place this projecting portion in the path of sufllcient circulating air to prevent the formation of condensation thereupon. Where the space between the doors H and I2 is relatively narrow the projection of the extension often must be increased. Where the space between adjacent doors is somewhat wider the length of the projection may he usually diminished to some extent.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of construction and operation of our refrigerator, and while we have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet body having a, pair of door openings in one side thereof, a mullion in said body between saidopenings, a door in each of said openings, said doors being hinged to sides of said door openings opposite said mullion, marginal portions on said doors overlying portions of said cabinet side and mullionin closed positions of the doors, and a projecting member on said mullion projecting outwardly beyond said one cabinet side between said marginal portions of said doors.

2. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a pair of door openings in one side thereof, a,

mullion between said door openings, an outer cabinet covering, an inner cabinet liner, and a breaker strip between said inner andouter coverginal edge on each of said doors designed to overlie a portion of said mullion, and a projecting portion on said mullion projecting forwardly from the mullion between said marginal door portions.

4. A refrigerator including a cabinet body having a pair or door openings in one side thereof, a mullion in said body separating said openings; a door in each of said openings, a marginal edge on each of said doors designed to overlie a portion of the outer surface of said mullion, sealing means interposed between said door and the out- 7 er surfaces of said mullion, and a projecting member on said mullion extending between said marginal portions of said door.

in said body between said door openings, doors in 2,44o,sa4

5 each of said openings, each. said door extending partly into the openingiand having a peripheral outwardly extending lip, overlying the cabinet body and mullion adjacent the door opening, sealing means between said lip and the portion of the cabinet body and mullion over which said lip extends, and a projection on said mullion extending outwardly between said lips.

6. A refrigerator construction including a cabinet having a pair of door openings therein and having a mullion between said openings, doors in each of said openings, 8. projecting edge on each of said doors designed to overlie a portion of said mullion, an outer covering on said mullion, and a projecting member on said outer covering projecting outwardly between said edges.

7. A refrigerator including a cabinet having a pair of door openings, a mullion separating said openings, said mullion having an outer covering including a central projecting rib and a pair of outwardly extending flanges connected thereto, doors in said openings, a lip on each of said doors overlying an outturned'flange of said mullion, said projecting rib extending between said lips.

:0 Number v WILLIS E. HURBE'Y. GILBERT SIR-UNK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flleof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Knight Nov. 5,19% Knight Dec. 27, 1938 cooper D c, :16, 1941 V 

